Cloudsurfer

Given how easy it is to get the bumpers off, I certainly would have pulled them and done this right. On other topics, I think the matte finish is cool, I almost painted my 740i a matte black/grey but never got around to spraying the car.

Have you checked or replaced the water pump? If you haven't replaced it by 90K you are certainly due for one, either way. To try to determine where your problems are, I would have the cooling system tested for integrity. It very well could be the oil cooler, as plenty of those have gone bad. Then, to either relieve or confirm issues with the reciprocating assembly, have a compression and leakdown test done.

I have seen a tear down of one of these engines that was run for a few minutes with a failed water pump, and the internals were scorched. Several sleeves were scored, two had failed, the small ends of the rods were charred, and every piston had its rings friction welded to them. That engine ran when started, albeit horribly, but had coolant pouring out of one bank's exhaust from the failed sleeve. A quick leakdown test confirmed the failed sleeves and from there it was torn down. It doesn't take much to cook an engine when coolant isn't flowing.

There are 3 tensioners on these engines, one each for the chains from IMS to the heads, and one for the chain from the crank to the IMS. If you had loosened the tensioner for the IMS drive chain, this would have been pretty easy. Using the pin to lock the crank at TDC and locking the cams isn't a bad idea, but the engine is not going to rotate when doing any of this unless you actually rotate it yourself. If you had had an early Variocam car (2002 and earlier) they likely could have re-timed the engine in the car, but with the vane type Variocam (2003 and on) that's not possible.

Unfortunately, lesson learned :(

If you're running a 10" wide wheel, the offset needs to be around 43mm to 48mm. The offset should be marked on your wheels. If you have say, an ET50, say like my BBS wheels, and you add a 5mm spacer, as I had to do, you wind up at 45mm offset. Even still, I had to tie back the e-brake cables.

First off, what you are talking about is a "resonator," not a "resignator." A resonator is an acoustic device used in some exhaust systems to help tune the sound. The Boxster (any and all of them, whether 986 or 987, S or non-S) does not utilize these.

Your 03 car has two pre cats in the headers, and then two cats in the midpipes. You can remove the second set of cats without running into check engine light problems as the second set of O2 sensors are after the pre cat, but before the midpipe cats. If you want to run aftermarket headers, that are non catted, you will have to find someone to flash your car's DME to RoW (non North America) software, as the RoW program does not monitor the second set of O2s. If you install non catted headers without doing this you are guaranteed to get a check engine light for catalyst efficiency. The other option is to run aftermarket, catted headers.

Absolutely! You'd be surprised how much luggage and your significant other's shoes you can fit between the two trunks, provided you pack soft bags.

Could be the variocam solenoid going bad on that bank too. Supposedly, bad lifters can cause this too. I would try swapping plugs and coils from side to side in an effort to isolate first.

This would be much simpler with the motor out of the car, and made even easier if you have a means of mounting the engine on a stand. While out I would absolutely replace the RMS seal, upgrade the IMS bearing, and replace your clutch.

Seems that Boxsters and 911's have fewer coil pack issues than a lot of cars, and I'd argue that the increased amount of air around these engines is good for the coil packs versus being tucked under the front engine bay of most cars, which get pretty warm.

The newer, dual canister FabSpeed is drone free. It also happens to come with secondary cat bypass pipes and sounds phenomenal. I'm not a fan of the tips, but they flow and sound great.

If after visual inspection the plastic is not cracking, there is absolutely no reason to replace. If you find one bad, just replace that one. Do not overtighten, as this is what contributes to them cracking.

Audio clip didn't work for me, but if it only occurs during cold start it is likely the air pump.

Thank a Todd, I figured the arrow would point to the flywheel side, as I've seen similar markings on air cooled pistons, however, in this instance, I just realized I had a brain fart when orientating myself with the motor, thinking this was a Boxster, not a 911 :) Now that all makes sense.

Yes, I numbered the piston/ rod assemblies to match their respective cylinders, however when they came out they were covered in carbon so I couldn't see any of the markings. Now that they've been cleaned and re-ringed, I'm 98% sure I know which way they go back, but not 100%, hence my question.

My apologies for the request of copyrighted materials.

I'll already dropped Jake an email ;)

I have the factory manuals in paper form, but if anyone has a digital copy of the 3.6 manual that they would like to share, that would be MUCH appreciated!

If anyone has this knowledge, that would be greatly appreciated! I am freshening a 3.6 right now, and am about to put it all back together with LN Engineerings updated IMS assembly. Problem is, I have the factory manual for the Boxster and the 3.4 Carrera, but not the 3.6. The older motors are supposed to have pistons that are marked "TOP" but the 3.6 (X51) pistons are not. Instead, there are multiple numerical markings, and an arrow. The older manuals also state that the bearing shell tangs face the oil pan on the crank. Assuming this holds true for the 3.6, the arrows would face the pulley side of the motor (I did mark all piston/ rod assemblies during teardown).

I'd appreciate any insight anyone can give on this.

149.995 miles. Engine was replaced at 137,000. Top was replaced at the same time. Runs great! Bought this bad boy for $5500.00. It was a smokin' deal. :lol:

So what exactly did you pay $5500 for?

I have the latest generation FabSpeed Boxster exhaust on my 02 S, and yesterday I suffered complete weld failure on one of the midpipes between the tubing and resonator section. Imagine Auto says FabSpeed will likely replace the midpipe, but I am very interested now in having them source a set of high flow cats and cutting out the resonators and welding in those so that I can run a non catted header.

Anyone have any input?

Patrick

I have done this on a 986 car, and I did the following: Start with a cool engine, pop the cover to gain access to the top on level ground. Use towels or something to shield the interior from the chemicals and water that will be present during the process, and you may want to cover some of the paint. Spray engine cleaner onto the motor and let it sit for 20 min or so, if it keeps evaporating you may have to reapply. Keep the alternator dry, preferably by covering it. If needed, use a brush to agitate the solution in tough places. Then, with LOW PRESSURE rinse the motor thoroughly of any chemical. The next step is optional, and some may disagree with me on this, but whenever I clean an engine compartment with a method that involves water, I ALWAYS let it fully dry before I crank the engine to avoid electrical issues. When I did my Boxster I let it try over a full day before I cranked it.

All in all if done right you should be very happy with the result.

Patrick

I have read a few guides on Concours preparation so I understand the need for clean engine, the PCA Zone 8 guide is a good reference but...

I was wondering about the dangers and a good process to follow.

Questions like, car level, car on an up hill grade (or down hill) to allow water to drain, lots of water, very little water, low pressure spray, power washer, what to cover etc.

Questions, questions and more questions.

Anybody done this (especially on a 987), care to share the best ideas or warnings?

thanks!

While we're on this topic.... I've had the pleasure of driving some of the newer bluetooth keyed cars, and I absolutely love it. Leave the "key" in your pocket and hit start. I have wondered....anyone think theres any way of retrofitting something like this into a car that came with a key? I'm going to guess pretty much no, but I love the thought.

Patrick

Shouldnt be a problem at all. I have Eclipse 5510 in my car, but anyway you do it you'll have to make a custom bezel to make things look clean. Fairly simple insallation though for any qualified audio shop.

Patrick

Hello Forum,

I just called CarSound in Denmark, who are specialist in navigation integration in cars and asked for a alternative to my PCM and they pointed these two products out:

http://www.carsound.dk/produkt.asp?id=5184&kid=35

http://www.carsound.dk/produkt.asp?id=5182&kid=35

They said it would be possible to install this by removing the PCM module in my Porsche and fitting the HardDrive where the CD-Changer is.

Has anyone tried this or something similar in their car ?

If I remove my PCM I will loose information about fuel economy, and I will gain a DIN-slot where the navigation CD reader was before.

Is there a 1DIN Porshce unit I could fit in the empty NavigationPCM Cd reader slot - a small bord-computer or something where I could see fuel economy ?

Many people have installed 2 DIN Radio/Dsiplay/DVD/ Navigation units from makers such as Clarion, Kenwood and others.

Suggest you do a search on this forum and Boxa (UK forum) and you are sure to find lots of details.

I just completed this mod as well. Very straightforward install, and thank you for the help. A couple things I noticed:

1. I did the mod on an 02 Boxster S with a cluster from an 02 Carerra 2.

2. The "idiot light only" stock oil sender is a 24mm fastener, not a 22mm, at least on my car.

3. I did not have to check for a bulb in the convertible top annuciator, since in both the old and new cluster, they are all LED.

4. I chose to not risk damage to the oil sending wire and rather than route it under the shifter assembly, ran it to the side zip tied to the Eclipse iPod cable.

If you have the time to do this mod, I highly recommend it!

Patrick

I"m doing this project myself as well, 02 996 C2 cluster going into 02 Boxster S. I, too, was hoping to find the 996 surround, but I have been unable so I guess its going to be dremel time.

Patrick

Having just done the retrofit install on my 986 Boxster S, the "little black box in the boot" is only there to allow the low beams to swivel up 5 degrees when you engage the high beams. It does nothing to auto level the low beams.

Patrick